DMCI plans Calaca power complex

Manila Times.net

BY EUAN PAULO C. AÑONUEVO REPORTER

DMCI Power Corp. may develop a large power complex in Calaca, Batangas. Nestor Dadivas, DMCI Power president, said the company is keen on putting up a 1,200-megawatt generating complex within its property in Calaca should demand for electricity pick up in the future.

”That’s our long-term goal. We should probably just talk about 600 megawatts over five years,” he said.

DMCI Power is the electricity generation arm of the Consujis’ DMCI Holdings, Inc., a local conglomerate with interests in mining. banking, property development and construction.

The company’s said property in Batangas is home to the 600-megawatt Calaca coal-fired power plant, which it acquired in July 2009 under the government’s privatization program for $361.7 million.

The facility is one of the Luzon grid’s major coal plants, which were designed to run as baseload generating facilities to meet round-the-clock demand.

Dadivas said the facility can house an additional 1,200-megawatt power plant, the first 300 megawatts of which is projected to be completed within the next 32 to 36 months.

”The way we see it is to do it in phases because we don’t want our project to be in big chunks. It will be difficult to market 600 megawatts, while it’s easier to market series of 150 megawatts or 300 megawatts,” he said.

Financing of the 300-megawatt power plant is expected to be completed within the next 60 to 75 days.

The company’s proposed additional power generating units in Calaca would use local coal from its affiliate Semirara Mining Corporation, the Consunji Group’s mining unit.

”It’s a clean CFB technology power plant that will use 100 percent Semirara coal both low grade and regular grade Semirara coal. The advantage is being able to use the low-grade,” he said.

CFB refers to Circulation Fluidized Bed Combustion.